A/N: Be warned. Lots of conversing going on this episode. Apparently all anyone wanted to do was talk talk talk. :/

"No, Ron, I will not play another game of wizard's chess with you. Why would I deliberately subject myself to a game I have no chancing of winning for the eighth time in a row?" Harry pushed away from the chess set, stretched his arms and yawned. They were the only ones left staying up It had been a while since just the three of them spent time together, but it was well past midnight. "Anyway, I'm dead tired, and I've still got a little bit of packing left."

"I thought you said you finished," Hermione said sternly from behind her 'light reading book'. Harry spluttered and tried to think of a quick lie. "Don't bother. I already finished for both of you. The trunks are in my purse."

Harry exchanged a quick grin with Ron. He turned to Hermione. "I love you, you know that don't you?"

"Yes, yes. Now get to bed before you collapse here. I told you that last snowball fight on the grounds was a stupid idea. I've asked Dorea for a Pepper Up Potion for you.

"You're brilliant, you are. Chuck Ron and marry me?" Harry asked dramatically, hand over his heart.

"Oi!" Ron took a light swat at him, which Harry ducked easily and retaliated by throwing a cushion at him. He ran out of the room before Ron could give chase, lateness of the hour and good food making him lethargic.

He bumped into Dra – Malfoy on his way up to his room. "Wha – where are you going this late?" He asked more sharply than he intended to. Things hadn't really changed between them since the day they went to Diagon Alley. It was mostly because Harry was incapable of standing in Malfoy's vicinity without remembering him in his bathroom, wet and mostly naked, and then he remembered what he had done after the fact, and what he had continued to do ever since.

Malfoy sneered at him, but his eyes looked everywhere but Harry. "To the kitchen, Potter. I want milk."

Uncomfortable, Harry shuffled his feet. "Right. Um, I'll let you be on your way." He had barely taken two steps away from him when Malfoy spoke again, his voice flat and lacking any emotion. Harry hated it.

"We'll be back to our time soon enough, Potter, and then you can go back to ignoring me properly. Don't worry."

Harry spun around, bewildered by Malfoy's words. "You think I'm ignoring you?"

"Aren't you?" Malfoy said without turning around. "That's strange. Obviously I imagined all the less than subtle maneuvers you've executed to keep yourself away from my person."

"Away from your... Okay, first of all, who even talks like that? Secondly, it's called avoiding out of sheer and utter embarrassment, you idiot. And how do you ignore someone properly?"

Malfoy did turn around then, his pale face tinged with a light pink that was the only indicator that this conversation was flustering him as well. Otherwise, his tone of voice was still as dead as...something very dead that Harry couldn't think of at the moment because yes, he had seen Malfoy flushed from Quidditch or the cold weather, but never like this. Never – never so softly that made his whole face look like a bloody rose. And now Harry was making crap pseudo-poetic metaphors about Malfoy's skin. He didn't think there was a higher level of pathetic than that.

"What reason could you possibly have to be embarrassed about?"

"Nothing, other than how I made an utter fool out of myself one night, and then went into your room uninvited the next morning when I was probably the last person you wanted to see at all after what a plonker I'd been. In your bathroom, no less." Harry finished in a rush, kept his eyes averted from Malfoy.

"Did it offend your delicate sensibilities, Potter?"

Offend?Definitely not.

He didn't realize he muttered it out loud until he heard Malfoy's sharp intake of breath. Sufficiently mortified once more, Harry decided to get away from Malfoy as quickly as he could, but Malfoy, the prat, rooted him to the spot when he deftly reached out and grabbed onto his wrist.

"Potter, I – "

"Harry? Are you still down here?"

Malfoy let go of him as quickly as he had caught him. They were too close, so close that Hermione what was – what would have happened had she not interrupted them.

She realized this too, because she gave a soft, understanding, "Oh."

Without waiting for either of them to say anything, Malfoy left in the direction he had come from, milk forgotten.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I just heard voices and I thought – I don't know what I thought really, but I wasn't expecting. It was dark and I didn't see you until it was too late. You and Malfoy looked very, um."

"It's fine, Hermione. I'm just going to go to bed. Good night." Harry sighed. It really wasn't her fault. She hadn't known what they were – what were they doing, anyway?

"Good night, Harry," she said, sounding a little sad. Although why she was sad, Harry couldn't tell.

**##**##**

"Those were the most exhausting Christmas holidays I have ever had," Harry declared to the compartment at large. He tugged roughly at his trunk and shoved on the overhead compartment. "And that is saying something." He looked significantly at Ron and Hermione.

Sirius threw his arm around Harry's shoulder, laughed directly in his ear "You made the most of them. After all, when are you going to have another holiday with your parents when they're younger than you?"

Never. Harry smiled through the sadness creeping up his throat. "Never again," he said.

"Damn right," James said as he pushed his way in behind them. "Don't block the only bloody way in, you tossers."

"Charming as ever, isn't he?" Lily quipped from her seat by the window. She looked at Harry speculatively. "You sure you would really mind if you weren't born."

"Positive."

"I certainly wouldn't mind. By all means, do not make the mistake of having sex, I beg you," Malfoy drawled. He had already taken the other seat by the window, and wasn't even looking at Lily or Harry as he spoke. Actually, he hadn't looked at Harry all morning.

"Please. You'd be bored without me. Who else would hand your arse back to you on a silver platter in Dueling Club?"

A thrill shot through Harry when that got a reaction out of him at last. Malfoy glared at his, his eyes flashing dangerously. "That wasn't – you cheated."

"I did not," he retorted. "You're the one who had Snape whispering spells into your ear when we were supposed to Disarm only."

"Because I'm the only one to ever use a spell from Snape."

"You were about to Cruio me!"

"And you almost killed me!"

"Like you never tried to have a a go."

"I never had to. You went running into danger all by yourself."

"Right. You were very skilled at running away from it. First year ring a bell?"

"Not as well as Fifth year does, I imagine."

Ron must have anticipated Harry's lunge for Malfoy, because he easily held him back by the scruff of his neck. "Sit down and keep in mind where we are. And you," Ron leveled a glare worthy of Mrs. Weasley. "Keep your mouth shut about things you know you shouldn't be talking about."

Malfoy gave him the two finger salute, but fell silent. Harry hadn't noticed that everyone was staring at them until he felt himself come off the high of quarreling with Malfoy. He wasn't even angry at Malfoy for bringing up Sirius' death when he was standing not four feet away. On the contrary he missed it – missed Malfoy's harsh frankness. He'd been on edge ever since last night when Malfoy had stood barely two inches away from him. He wanted Malfoy to feel as unsettled and confused as him. He had been so sure before last night that Malfoy wasn't – the he wouldn't ever – be interested in Harry like that. That he would just laugh if Harry ever told him how he felt, what he wished he could have with Malfoy. But now. Harry chewed on his lips, glanced at Malfoy's profile out of the corner of his eye, and sighed. He wasn't sure about anything anymore.

"Well," Remus broke the tense silence eventually. "That was very entertaining."

The train lurched out of King's Cross. Harry craned his neck to catch the last glimpse of his grandparents, knowing these two weeks were all he had of them now. Still. It was something. Harry had always so keenly felt the absence of his family that he was willing to take whatever he was granted.

Harry shut his eyes against the fading platform.

James watched on, amused, as Harry tried to bore holes into Draco's mind via intense staring. The other boy obviously didn't notice, engrossed as he was in his conversation with Black. "That isn't going to get you anywhere. Trust me, I tried it for six years before I caught on."

"I'm not. That isn't the same!" Harry hissed across at him.

"Sure it isn't." Something caught his eye at the end of the table. It was Remus and Sirius with their heads ducked together, conversing furiously. Remus looked like he was trying to convince Sirius not to do something. A noble feat in James opinion. He leaned closer to Harry, lowered his voice so no one would hear. "Can I ask you something? About the future." Harry looked uneasy, so he added, "I already know you're wiping our memories before you leave." Harry gave him a Look. "What? It's my house. I know how to listen in without getting caught. It isn't even about me. I just. I just want to know if they're – if they stay happy in the future. Are they still together?"

Harry looked sadly at Sirius and Remus. He then reached into his pocket for something. It was a photograph of a small baby with constantly changing hair color. He recognized it as the same one Harry and overturned their whole room for. "That's Teddy Remus Lupin, his son with Nymphadora Tonks."

"Tonks as in Sirius' favorite cousin Tonks' daughter?" Harry nodded and tucked the picture of the grinning boy away. "How did they end up together?"

"It's too long, too complicated, and I can't tell you any of it. I didn't even know Sirius and Remus had been together."

Stunned, James didn't know what to say to the revelation. "I guess I can't tell anyone about it. Let them have their fun while it lasts, eh?"

"Yeah." Harry stuffed his mouth full of eggs to avoid saying anything more on the subject.

James decided to turn the conversation back to Draco and him. "Maybe if you just asked him out, this would all be a lot less painful to watch."

Harry shot him another one of those looks that James was sure he got from Lily. "You have no right to give me advice of any sort. You harassed my mother for most of her time at this school, separated her from her best friend, and you still lie to her about being an illegal Animagus. At this point, I'd take advice from Regulus Black himself before I listened to you."

James, being the bigger person he was, ignored that. "So you do admit you wouldn't mind asking him to go out with you."

"I admit no such thing."

"Don't admit what?"

"Our son's deep, undying love for his once enemy."

Lily smiled as she set her bag down next to him, pecked him on the cheek and said, "Stop teasing him."

"Thank you." Harry smiled smugly at James.

"The poor boy can't help it if he's a little chicken shit who can't accept and act on his big gay man feeling for Draco."

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side." Harry pouted with such finesse, James was sure that had he been fifteen years younger James would have given Harry anything he wanted. As it stood, he wasn't and James wasn't quite as taken in with the puppy eyes and the fake tears.

"I'm on whichever side that makes you happy. Also, I want him as my son-in-law," Lily replied cheerfully.

Harry groaned into his palms. "Please stop that. He isn't going to be anyone's son-in-law, and least of all yours."

"You, young man, are very rude to your poor, old parents," James said, waving his spoon sternly at Harry.

Harry made some remark about his parents being neither old, nor poor and that they should damn well keep themselves out of his business. He then added that they tell Ron and Hermione he was going to class whenever the two showed up. He swung his bag over one shoulder too widely, and hit the shoulder of a passing Ravenclaw carrying some scones from their table back to hers. James struggled not to laugh at Harry's stricken expression as he helped her uselessly.

"It's fine, really. You don't have to – oh, thank you!" She smiled, a little bewildered at the new plate of scones suddenly placed in her hand. James only then noticed they were his goddamned scones.

"Sorry," Harry muttered again, a sheepish smile on his face. "I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes."

He looked so earnest, James really wasn't surprised when the girl giggled in a rather silly manner and said, "Really. It is all right. I'm Janet."

Harry gave her a broad, relieved smile that sent Janet blushing a bright red. James sat there, stupefied at the sheer obliviousness of his son. Could he really not see what Janet was doing? James looked at Lily for an explanation, only to see she looked as incredulous as James felt. They'd reproduced an oblivious idiot. Really, they had. James could never remember being so clueless in his entire life, and Lily was as perceptive as they came. Clearly, this was all Harry.

"Harvey. I hope I didn't hit you too hard." Harry motioned to her shoulder.

"It's fine. Maybe you can make it up to me later?"

Harry blinked. "Erm – " He didn't get a chance to say anything more as Draco's palm clamped itself on Harry. "Malf- Mallory, what?"

James took a moment to marvel at how Draco had crossed the Great Hall so quickly without Apparating. Clearly, determination trumped the laws of Physics.

"We'll be late for class, Jameson, and you know how McGonagall hates it when we're late. Do you mind?" Draco sneered at the Ravenclaw. He gave her a once over the same way James had seen Narcissa do so many times when she still went to Hogwarts. It was the glance that said you are beneath my notice and the only reason you aren't a pile of dung is because I don't want to deal with the smell. A young, first year James had been in awe of that look once when it was directed at him.

Janet walked away hastily without looking at Harry even once.

Harry glared at Draco, and he pulled his arm out of Draco's grasp. "What the fuck?"

"Please. She's easily twenty years older than you linearly."

"She – I. It wasn't like that!"

James could tell he really believed that himself. He really, truly though Janet the Ravenclaw was not flirting with him.

Draco shrugged delicately. "I don't particularly care either way. I only came here to tell you I have the book we need."

Liar. James cocked his head at Draco and mouthed, Oh really, which Draco ignored.

Harry, irritation forgotten, looked over at the Slytherin table. "You mean Regulus Black pulled through?" He seemed impressed. "I'll tell Ron and Hermione to meet us in the Room. Come on."

"You have class!" Lily shouted after them, scandalized, but they were already gone.

"I'm sorry love, but I don't think it's their priority at the moment," James tried to console.

Lily gave a displeased huff. "He gets it from you," she said adamantly.

James rolled his eyes, but kept silent. He knew better than to answer when she was in her mood.

End Notes: I'm thinking there will probably be about three more chapter and an epilogue. But it's a rough estimate so who knows?